september 2008

When Stars Collide: Solar-Powered Sculpture Set to Illuminate Firehouse Lawnby Brent Stevensphotos courtesy of Thea Lanzisero

Soon our very own Mill Mountain Star will share the night with a new constellation. Thea Lanzisero’s sculpture “Starlight Triad” will be installed this month on the green space down by Fire Station #8. The sculpture is one of nine installations that will adorn Roa-noke for the next eighteen months as part of “AIR: Art in Roanoke,” an effort by The Roa-noke Arts Commission to raise awareness of the public arts. This is the first project funded by the Percent for Arts Ordinance passed in 2006, which stipulates that 1% of Roanoke’s capital improvement budget — excepting certain projects — goes toward public arts. “Starlight Triad” began its journey in Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2006, then had a stint in Thea’s hometown Huntington’s Heckscher Museum Park in 2007, and finally landed this past summer on NYC’s Governor’s Island as a part of Figment, a free arts festival that emphasizes per-formance and audience participation. This evolving story accords well with Thea’s vision for the piece, as she sees her work in narra-

tive terms: “My thought is to create a static piece of art that tells a story — more than being just an object.” Thea’s own story begins in Long Island where she was born and raised. She realized at a very early age who she was: “I always thought of myself as an artist and told my mother so when I was

four.” Trained at South-ampton College and SUNY Purchase, Thea’s eclectic inter-ests include yoga, marine sciences, gar-dening, mathematics, science fiction, astron-omy, and archeology. Her influences include Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Andy Gold-sworthy and Robert Smithson — sculptors who utilize buildings, bridges and even the land itself as materials to produce creations

on a large scale that literally compel spectators to take notice. It is this same combination of the organic and the industrial as well as a heightened sense of the world around her that drives

— Continued on page 10

centeredon

community.family.you.

The South Roanoke Circle is a publication forged from our belief in bringing people together through the written word. A paper that arrives at each and every home in the neighborhood, The South Roanoke Circle offers monthly glimpses into the everyday lives and minds of South Roanokers. To that end, we hope you’ll be a part of the circle, sharing your ideas about what sustains our neigh-borhood’s spirit of community.

inside

The Realist Tallies Glue Sticks

Thea

Lanzi

sero

tak

ing a

hands-

on —

and h

eads-

on —

appro

ach

to h

er

work

in h

er s

tudio

.

2

Brent Stevenspublisherbrent@southroanokecircle.com

Jill Hufnageleditorjill@southroanokecircle.com

Amy Takacs, Creative Outletgraphic designeramy@creative-outlet.com

Lisa Bowersadvertising representativelisa@southroanokecircle.com353.2380

Mary Anne Marxphotographermaryannemarx@hotmail.com345.6279

Johnny Meidlingerinternet kung fu

The South Roanoke Circle2707 Richelieu AvenueRoanoke, VA 24014540.293.2114

southroanokecircle.com

Our intent is to provide a neighborhood publication that celebrates community and fosters connection among neighbors. In so doing, we seek to strengthen the neighborhood bond, to encour-age our children to share their voices, and to nurture a future of collective growth. Finally, we wish to share in the discovery of the people and places that make this neighborhood thrive.

~We reserve the right to refuse publication of any material we deem unsuitable for this venue and/or our readership.

copyright 2008Writing Associates, LLC

all rights reserved.

She Said If you’re one of those readers who skips straight to Realist, then perhaps you’ve already heard enough back-to-school musings. If you’re a bit more orderly about your reading, then know that I appreciate the virgin ears and am already beginning to think you’re my kind of people — what with the appreciation for everything in its place and all. Thing is, I love school supplies. I think it has to do with the fabulous collision of fresh, new, untouched pencils and crayons, markers and glue, alongside the jewel-toned, crisp aired promise of autumn — by far my favorite season. During our kitchen renovation, I misplaced all sorts of things — my camera, a stack of unopened mail, every sharp knife in the house — and yet I could have put my finger on my daughter’s second grade school supply list be-fore you could say Bionic Woman lunchbox. I’m pretty sure I inadvertently memorized a few items, too. (Honest mistake from a school supply junkie.) I’m guessing, too, that the love affair is all about my own school days. Every year, my mom would line up me and my best friend, Jen, in front of our house for the requisite first day photo op. Those pictures are telling: the brown bag lunch (never could I man- age to give the parents a break and actually buy), the perfectly braided hair with bows coordinat- ed to the first day outfit, the still-stiff back pack full of Trapper Keepers and marble composition books that would crackle once opened. And behind the braids: this sense of utter expectation, of the beginning of something big, new, uncharted. So here’s what gets me. While I have been all strung out over the past few weeks awaiting the BIG DAY, relishing it mentally with an embarrassing degree of fervor, my kids just aren’t there. In sharp contrast to my own obsession over just which two-pocket folder to choose — the funky retro floral pattern or the cutting edge croc-inspired pop model — the kids instead opted for an express-line approach to the project at hand. When Scarlett nonchalantly tossed a basic red three-subject notebook into the cart after a snap perusal of her options, I felt a pang. This was not what I had envisioned. Where was the wondering and weighing? The dark blue or the pale blue? The wrinkled brow of pained deliberation? At least toss me an eenie-meenie-miney-moe. . . Clearly, my Big Day was not theirs. Instead their interest leaned more toward the gum aisle, where they deliberated as though they were choosing eraser tops or, larger still — gasp! — a lunch box. As we checked out and loaded into the van, I was left to wonder: whose kids are these? And then I remembered: Brent went an entire year using a messenger bag with a busted strap and more often than not jots notes on the back of junk mail. Dad’s genes be damned. But that’s okay. I fed my own need, and left with the most perfect funky retro floral folder of my own. And yes, it’s already full of my own very important, fresh, new stuff. So there. — JH

The History Museum of Western Virginia is pleased to announce that the Crystal Spring Pump Station is once again open to the public. Now on Sundays from 1-4 pm through Septem-ber 28, 2008, visitors can experience the spectacle of the great fly-wheel rotating, the pistons pumping, and the sound of steam escaping with a hiss. Long before the arrival of the first westward explorers, the cool waters of Crystal Spring flowed from an unknown source into what is now southwest Virginia’s Roanoke Valley. When Scots-Irish immigrants settled the region in the mid-1700’s, the Evans family harnessed these waters to power a grist mill, and Crystal Spring has played an important part in Roanoke’s history ever since. In 1905, the City purchased the Snow Steam Pump from the Snow Steam Pump Works of Buffalo, NY. The pump was a mechanical marvel of the day. The pump’s 13 ft. diameter, 11-ton flywheel was designed to turn at a consistent 40 revolutions per minuteto ensure steady pumping operation and it did so almost without interruption for the next 50 years. The Crystal Spring Pump Station has been recognized as an important part of Roanoke’s history. Through restoration efforts, clean-up and new exhibits, the Pump Station and the Snow Steam Pump have been been returned to their grandeur. The Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Snow Steam Pump is recognized as one of the last, best examples of its kind by the Smithsonian Institution. For more information contact: History Museum of Western Virginia, Carolyn Payne, Op-erations Manager, 540.342.5724, manager.hswv@cox.net

Warts and All In our July/August issue, we incorrectly identified the location of Bryn Mawr, which is actu-ally situated in a historic suburb west of Philadelphia.

Crystal Spring Pump Station

3

Tied up in knots?Un-pretzel yourself...with one-on-one or small group yoga.

Kara Robinson580-0012 - kararobin@cox.net

YogaFit certified instructor

The Jefferson Street RealistBy David S. Bowers

In response to my attempt to opt out of this month’s column - se-vere Summeritis had laid me low - I was offered a suggestion to rant about the back to school ritual. Thing is, I don’t have much of a problem with it. Back to school clothes shopping, in my limited experience with a rising second grade boy, is not a big deal. He will get by with shorts and t-shirts until November. He’s getting a little particular about his shoes, but so far we’ve kept it under control. For parents of girls and teenagers: I understand it’s different for you. But hey, you don’t have to go nuts either! Get them a few things to wear and put the kids on the bus. Otherwise you’re just putting pressure on the rest of us. And I know it’s annoying to take those school supply lists to the store, but if we don’t help out with this stuff, the teach-ers will be more out of pocket than they are already. When I was a kid in up-state NY, we didn’t have to provide our own supplies. The teachers didn’t either. What that meant was that if you lived in a bad district you went without, and if you lived in a good district they taxed the hell out of your parents. An hour and some money spent at Kmart is a good compromise (if you ask me). One thing I don’t get is the glue sticks. My son’s 2nd grade list asks for three regular or twelve small. Kindergarten: twelve small. 1st grade: six large or twelve small. 3rd and 4th just say four glue sticks, no size specified. And then in 5th, they are back up to four to six! Let’s do the math. At Crystal Spring, assuming three classes per grade and an average of twenty kids per class, it totals two to three thousand glue sticks arriving on September 2 with our children. Good grief! I think I had one bottle of Elmer’s Glue through-out my entire elementary school run! My mother probably still has it. How much gluing are they doing? I’ve seen a lot of coloring come home; lots of great writing, math, and science worksheets; but not nearly twelve sticks worth of glued construction paper projects. Seems to me they are always working on SOLs, so who has time to glue, anyway? It’s OK with me if the teachers are using it to glue children to their seats, or to their pencils, or even to each other if they act up and

need to learn to get along with one another. But wow! That’s a lot of glue. Maybe some of these glue sticks are going to other schools in town. I’d be really peeved if we have a big bin of unused glue at CSE. With a wee bit more research I found that other schools don’t ask for so many. Maybe one of those mysterious “teacher work days” is actually the RCPS Collective Glue Sharing Event. Let’s hope, because otherwise thousands of glue sticks are being stolen, eaten, melted back up into a horse, or quite possibly, thrown away. What happened to “paste”? Remember those messy tubs of white paste, with the stick on the bottom of the cap that you would

use to smear the paste around? That stuff smelled good. Really good. It was easy to overdo it, too, and get paste all over your “smock”. Thus the glue stick revolution, I suppose. By the way, did you ever get stuck with “Lefty” scissors because they were the only ones left in the box? It was like trying to cut with a banana. Impossible! Your project would end up all ripped and jaggedy-edged. One thing that was fun was work-ing with clay. Dad always needed a new ashtray. That’s about all I could do.

I remember in 7th grade my art teacher, Mr. Schoenberg, somehow thought I had some artistic ability. Not sure where he got that idea. He came up with the brilliant plan that I should craft a “Doonesbury Santa Claus” out of clay and place him atop the roof of a house I was to build out of cardboard. What a disaster. I think my Dad, thankful for all the ashtrays, actually made the house. I came up with some lump that was supposed to be Santa Claus and I pasted him right up there on the roof. I never took art again after that. I guess that’s part of going to school: figuring out what you’re no good at and don’t want to do, along with reinforcing the good things. I’m glad back-to-school season is here. I have no complaints about the ritual. Kids are getting restless and ready to go and I know most parents are ready. So let’s get to class and glue stuff! David is a 40ish working husband and father of one. He’s quick to tell you how things ought to be, but real slow to do anything about it.

Don Reid, author of Sunday Morning Memories, Presbyterian Elder and lead singer of the Statler Brothers, will be the guest speaker on Sunday, September 14th at First Presbyterian Church in

Roanoke. The morning-long visit is part of “Super Sunday” at the church.

For additional information, please contact the Church Office at 540-344-3204.

Dear South Roanoke Circle,

I wanted to give the neighborhood a general

thumbs up to all the dog owners who are picking up

after their dogs. I have to say -- and I watch -- that

I see more and more people doing it and I think it is

really great!

Thanks, Anne Krogenas

4

540.721.2045

Buy the cow AND get

the milk for free

Now featuring premium local beef: hormone-free and

antibiotic-free

Enjoy a free quart of ice cream with your $20 non-dairy

purchase.

Home delivery of eggs, butter, cheese, ice cream, frozen veggies, Mill

Mountain coffee, pizza, juice and more.

5

Jocks on Your Block

There’s more to golf than driving, putting and plaid pants. Little heralded, the ancient and royal game of golf showcases decorum, sportsmanship and etiquette. The First Tee of the Roanoke Valley is emphasizing this aspect of golf as it integrates golf instruction with character development for young people of all backgrounds. The Scott Robertson Memorial opened The First Tee of Roanoke Valley in June 2005. The mission of the First Tee is to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. The memorial purchased three acres of land that adjoins Westside Elementary School and Roa-noke Country Club, in a predominately African-American neighbor-hood in order to reach a youth population that might not otherwise have access to a place to golf. The location is an ideal setting for a learning facility, which was developed for and dedicated to all Roanoke Valley youth. In May of 2007, the First Tee hired South Roanoke resident Mary Beth McGirr, an LPGA Class-A Master Pro-fessional, as the Director of Programming and Instruction. Mary Beth, who divides her time between her residence on Richelieu Avenue and Smith Mountain Lake, is a former golf coach for UNC-Greensboro, Wake Forest, Southern Illinois and others—and has been recognized as a top teacher of golf in the US by Golf and Golf For Women multiple times. A lifelong athlete, Mary Beth did not take up the game of golf until she was a teenager, but she enjoyed spending those years playing in the evenings with her fam-ily. “It’s a great generational sport,” says Mary Beth. “We’d go out as a family after dinner and play 9 holes. It’s something people of all ages can do together.” She is passionate about introducing the game early on to kids. “We want to have the ‘Tiger Effect’ and get kids hooked young. Tiger Woods proved to the world that it is cool to play golf and that it is not a lilly white sport.” Mary Beth is a skilled teacher who has been in the city schools teaching sessions to 5th graders, in addition to the classes at the First Tee site. In just one month this winter, she worked with over 840 city school children. She is good at what she does because she breaks down a rather complicated game. “Simplify—less information cre-

ates more results,” said Mary Beth. She enjoys teaching children because she feels they have no fear and are will-ing to try and ex-periment, unlike many adults. One frustration she shared was that the girls tend to drop the sport in their teen years while the boys continue playing. “That’s a challenge to me—to keep the girls playing.” Several male First Tee golfers have gone on to play in top tournaments: Parker Davis of Salem High School will be playing in the Wal-Mart First Tee Open in Pebble Beach this month. When Mary Beth is not instructing at First Tee, she spends her weekends at the lake, no surprise here, golfing! She loves her condo in South Roanoke. She finds the neighbors friendly, and en-joys heading over to Fork In The Alley for an evening dinner. “It’s delightful to sit outside and watch everyone out walking their dogs,” said Mary Beth. You can often find her out walking her own dog down by the fire station in the evenings. Although Mary Beth has only been teaching over a year at The First Tee, the organization has had a strong impact on our valley since its opening day in 2005. It has presented programs to over 4,100 students. If you are interested in supporting this program through an in-kind or charitable donation, please contact Jennifer Blackwood, Executive Director of The First Tee of Roanoke Valley, at jblackwood@scottrobertson.com or 540.563.1TEE. Kate Ericsson, who has never picked up a club in her life, has a daughter who took lessons this summer at First Tee and is now officially hooked on the game of golf.

Pitman Handyman Services

Call us and

bank on a job

well done.

Office540.427.2001

Fax540.427.2003

E-mailbderey@ pitman

construction.com

1 2 E A S T C A M P B E L Lr o a n o k e v a 2 4 0 1 1

P h o n e : ( 5 4 0 ) 3 4 4 - 4 0 8 5F a x : ( 5 4 0) 3 4 4 - 4 0 8 6

w w w . a n t i q u e b l u e f u r n i t u r e . c o m

Mary Beth McGirr and Kasey take a break at the fire station on their evening walk.

Photo by Mary Anne Marx.

EDUCATION. PRESERVATION. CELEBRATION! THAT IS RENOVATE ROANOKE.

This free “old house fair” returns for a second year on Friday at 7 and Saturday at 8:30, October 10 & 11 at the Jefferson Center.

Sessions include “Mortar”, “Roof Repair & Maintenance”, “Green/Sus-tainable Renovation”, “Making an Old House Livable”, “Historic Millwork”, and the “Architectural Pattern Book”.

For more information please call 540-853-2073 or visit www.roanokeva.gov/renovate and www.brenthull.com

for more information.

6

Golfers Wanted

Where: Ashley Plantation Golf ClubWhen: Friday, October 10, 2008 1pm shotgun

What: Golf Tournament, Prizes, Food, Silent Auction & FunWhy: To support the kids, families and staff we serve

www.roanokedlc.orgMike Angelillo — 293-4174

Mention this ad for 10% off two treatments

ACUPUNCTURE OF ROANOKEAcupuncture ~ Chinese Herbs ~ Bodywork

Alexander Davis L. Ac.

Chronic IllnessesAnxiety & Depression

Chronic painGastrointestinal Disorders

InsomniaBones, Muscles & Joints

Tuesday- Saturday by Appointment1701 Grandin Rd SW ~ 540 344-3286 ~ 540 467-6939

www.AcupunctureofRoanoke.com

Proven Health Care for over 2000 yearsGynecological Disorders

AllergiesAddictions

Urogenital Disorders Respiratory Disorders Circulatory Disorders

By the time you read this article, summer will be offi-cially over — the end, for now, of baseball, cook-outs, firefly collecting, and family vacations. As I reflected on sum-mers past, I realized how family vacations really are a won-derful opportunity to teach your kids about, what else, the US transfer tax system (aka the estate, gift, and generation-skip-

ping transfer taxes). Wait a minute, Legaleasy, what in the

world do family vacations and transfer taxes have in common? Is the fight between you and your bachelor uncle for the best room in the rental house somehow analogous to the eternal struggle between taxpayers and Uncle Sam? Does the estate tax represent that shark that spoils your time in the water because you know it is out there but it is just out of sight? Well, those are all good guesses but I was thinking more about the game of Monopoly that we always play on vacations. I know that many families like to do jigsaw puzzles on vacations, while oth-ers like to play beach sports. Our family likes to play Monopoly. In particular, two aspects of Monopoly relate to the US transfer tax system—one, the fact that everyone starts the game with a given amount of money and two, that every time you pass Go you get more money. OK, still not seeing the connection? Let me back up and dis-cuss some basics about the transfer tax system. First, I will speak no more in this article about the generation-skipping transfer tax because this article is supposed to qualify as a fun, beach read. A discussion about the GST tax now would be like trying to read an encyclopedia on the beach. Second, the transfer tax is what it sounds like, a tax on the gratuitous transfer of property from one person to the next. If the transfer happens while the donor is living, the applicable tax is the gift tax. If it happens at death, then the estate tax applies. The two taxes are in some sense the front and back of the same hand. So every time you give something to someone else, you are making a transfer subject to the gift tax. For example, when you bought your cousin a graduation present, yup, gift tax. When you burned a mix CD for a friend, gift tax. Now odds are, when you did either of these things, you did not file a gift tax return and pay any gift tax, right? The government, in its infinite wisdom, realized that policing a transfer tax system would be impossible unless it cre-ated certain practical exceptions to make it work. The first and most important exception for most couples applies to transfers between husbands and wives. Gifts between spouses qualify for an unlimited deduction against the transfer taxes. When

wife earns her salary as an attorney and deposits it in the joint bank account, technically she is making a gift to her husband. She will not have to report that gift because no reporting is necessary for gifts qualifying for the marital deduction. The next exception is our first connection back to Monopoly. Remember how you get $1,500 at the start of the game. Well, every individual starts life with a credit against the transfer taxes. Before 2001, the credits against the estate and gift taxes were the same amount and were referred to collectively as the unified credit. Thinking about this in terms of Monopoly, imagine that Uncle Sam/the Bank has given you a pile of special money that you can use to pay either gift or estate taxes. In 2001, your special tax money was enough to pay taxes on the transfer of $1,000,000, either during life or at death. If you used it up on gifts, then you would have to pay any estate taxes out of your own money. Post-2001, the government made it a little more complicated because the credits against the gift and estate taxes no longer were the same. For example, this year the gift tax credit exempts the first $1,000,000 of gifts from gift tax, but the credit against the estate tax exempts the first $2,000,000 from estate tax. Of course, if you use up some of your gift tax credit during life, you use up that same amount of your estate tax credit. Think about it this way. You still have that first pile of Monopoly money that you can use to pay ei-ther gift or estate taxes. But now you have been given an extra pile of money that can only be used against the estate tax. The last exception to discuss is also our last connection to Mo-nopoly. Each year, every taxpayer is allowed to give away (gift tax only) a fixed amount of value to anyone else. This benefit is called the “annual exclusion amount.” Currently, the annual exclu-sion amount is $12,000 for the remainder of this year. So long as you do not exceed this amount with respect to any one recipient, you do not have to file gift tax returns or, even better, have to use up some of your credit against the gift tax. And just like passing Go in Monopoly where you collect another $200, each year you get to start anew with your annual exclusion gifts. The easiest example of the annual exclusion amount is where Dad gives $12,000 to each of his three sons on December 1, 2008. On January 1, 2009, he could immediately give each son another $12,000. But this example brings up the discussion of the family vacation. What happens if Dad, instead of making outright gifts to each son, takes the entire family on a beach vacation to Florida? Let’s assume each son is an adult. Well, Dad has made a gift to each son equal to that son’s cost of the vacation paid by Dad. If Dad buys for a round of golf for the four of them, Dad is making additional gifts. If Dad takes everyone to dinner, additional gifts. But so long as the final cost of the vacation per son is less than $12,000, Dad would not have use up any of his gift tax credit because he has annual exclusions for each son. And of course the best news for the sons is that next year the an-nual exclusion amount starts all over again and Dad can take them somewhere else! Carter Brothers is an attorney in the Roanoke office of Spilman, Thomas & Battle, PLLC, where he assists clients daily with their es-tate planning, but not their vacation planning.

Legaleasy

by Carter Brothers

Guest Speaker Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry will discuss: “Reaching Out to Our Community”

7

Marketplace

2 1 2 6 R O S A L I N D A V E .( N E X T T O C A R I L I O N E L D E R C L I N I C )

P L E A S E C A L L PAT F O R R E N L I C E N S E D N U R S E / C M T

0 5 4 0 . 3 4 3 . 3 2 0 3 C 5 4 0 . 5 2 0 . 1 3 3 7

Gift Certificates Available ~ Credit Cards Accepted

Buying Old Postcards, Books, Early Photos & More!Cleaning out? Settling an estate? The long-time local “old paper” gallery buys old postcards, books, magazines, photos, autographs, Civil War and military items, old currency, early sports items, old

fishing lures, old comics, art pottery, old fountain pens, old oil paint-ings, old toys, railroad memorabilia, historic documents, old adver-tising calendars, school annuals, & quality estate items/collections.

Call or visit us to discuss your items or we can come to you.

Paper Memories, LLC

Hands that Help, Hands that Heal, Hands that Care:

homebound hair and nail care, and relaxing massage.

PC DOCTOR

Custom Built Computers

Residential & Commercialwww.monsterpconline.com

Thomas A. Mason, CICAgent [Auto-Home-Business-Life] 2223 Crystal Spring Ave, SW

540.985.6554

8

9

10

many of Thea’s pieces. She began using bamboo, for example, because she noticed it thriving on Long Island, when it was virtually non-existent in her youth. This made her realize in a very visual way just how much her environment had changed. “It shouldn’t be growing so happily this far north,” she thought. But she admires this resilience: “The more you cut it the quicker it grows, and it can be used for virtually everything. Asian builders even use it as scaf-folding when they build their skyscrapers. I love that contrast.” Audience participation is also a vital part of her aesthetics. For a recent installation, “Solar Bamboo Columns,” Thea drew upon the energy of a wide range of people: girl scouts, octogenarians, and even curious onlookers. (If you’re curious, there’s a video on YouTube.) “People look at me with disbelief when I tell them they can join in to help weave or this or that. It’s fascinating to realize how many adults don’t have a creative outlet. They get as excited as kids when they work on one of these projects.” She remembers one man in particular who brought his daughter to help on three successive nights. He marveled, “Usually I’m sitting at a computer all day, and now I’m doing this.” Steel is another of Thea’s preferred materials. She learned how to weld in college and it kind of stuck with her, even though — she confesses — it’s not very “girly.” Steel also has the advantage of being durable: “I’ve always had a kind of brutal relationship with my materials. I tried ceramics for a while, but I’m not very delicate with things. Once I found steel I realized that this was the material for me.” But she admits that steel is not the eco-friendliest of materials. “Starlight Triad,” lit from within by solar panels, was born out of a desire to address this imbalance: “It’s about how our cities are made of steel and our beginning awareness of alternative energies. It’s about what’s possible with creative thinking. The circular or egg-like form represents growth and birth and regeneration — from egg to supernova.” The ocean offered Thea further inspiration for the piece. The panels light the structure from within, evoking the bioluminescence of deep-sea creatures. “‘Starlight Triad’ also represents time,” says Thea. “It takes all day to accumulate the sun’s energy to power the batteries to glow at night. The power is used up and regenerates again the next day. I’m thinking about all these things as I work because I think it’s part of my job as an artist to bring focus to im-portant issues. And for me, the environment is of major importance to our well-being, and to the health of future generations.” On September 14th Thea will be coming to Roanoke to install the piece, coming full circle in more ways than one. Growing up in a large family who did a lot of camping, she remembers Roanoke well: “I’m excited to return to Roanoke and see how the memory I have of it as a child — this mysterious place full of history — reso-nates with my experience as an adult.” So to have a look at art literally taking shape from the ground up, come by on the 14th.

Continued from page 1 —

11

Long-term care, while not inevitable, is a possibility for millions of Americans. In fact, the American Society on Aging estimates that Americans who are age 65 and older have a 70% chance of requir-ing long term care. Long-term care can be very expensive. A recent survey revealed that the average annual national cost for nursing home care is over $70,000. Depending on where you live and what type of facility you choose, the cost may even be higher. Home healthcare, too, can prove to be a significant drain on resources. The national aver-age cost of home healthcare is over $52,000 annually. The question becomes how do you pay for long-term care when you need it. One answer may be long-term care insurance. Long-term care insurance can provide you with the ability to meet a con-siderable portion of these costs over an extended period of time.

How does long-term care insurance work?Typically, a long-term care insurance policy provides benefits if you:

as Alzheimer’s disease

what long-term care policies refer to as activities of daily liv-ing, such as bathing and dressing.

Most policies pay a maximum daily (or monthly) benefit for a specified number of years, known as the benefit period. This maxi-mum daily (or monthly) benefit is simply the maximum amount the insurance company will pay per day (or month) for nursing home or other long-term care costs. Long-term care policies also include a lifetime benefit or the maximum total amount the insurance company will pay. The lifetime benefit is typically calculated by multiplying the daily (or monthly) benefit by the benefit period. If your long-term care costs are less than the maximum daily (or monthly) benefit, you may receive benefits for a longer period of time than the benefit period. But you will never receive more than the lifetime benefit. Most policies impose an established waiting pe-riod, called the elimination period, before any benefits are paid.

Although some basic policies cover only nursing home costs, long-term care policies generally cover costs for skilled nursing care, intermediate care and custodial care. You can typically receive this care at an assisted-living facility, adult-care center or at home. Coverage can vary greatly from insur-er to insurer and policy to policy. Each policy has its own eligibility requirements, restrictions, and determination of benefits and cost.

How much does long-term care insurance cost? The actual cost of the premiums you pay depends on several factors, including:

The features and the options of the policy can usually be custom-ized to fit both your needs and your budget.

Long-term care costs continue to rise. To protect yourself at least partially, you may generally choose from a variety of inflation pro-tection options that offer increased coverage over time. The options vary by policy.

-ical insurance? Some consumers decide against purchasing long-term care in-surance because they mistakenly believe that their medical insur-ance or Medicare or Medicaid will cover them. Unfortunately, these assumptions are generally not true. Traditional medical insurance typically does not cover long-term care expenses. Medicare may cover medically necessary care at home or at a skilled nursing facility on a part-time or intermittent basis, but, gener-ally, Medicare covers these expenses only after a required minimum hospital stay of three days, and coverage for an extended period is limited. Medicaid provides certain types of coverage only after people have depleted most of their assets.

Your Financial Advisor can work with you to help you decide whether long-term care insurance is appropriate for your individual situation. Additionally, you should work closely with your Financial Advisor, as well as your legal and tax advisors, to make certain any long-term care policy you consider is coordinated with your invest-ment, retirement and estate planning strategies.

Important Considerations:

Insurance Agency Inc. and by other insurance-licensed subsidiaries of UBS Financial Services Inc. through third-party insurance compa-nies unaffiliated with UBS Financial Services Inc.

must consult your tax advisor and attorney regarding your specific situation.

guaranteed and may change over the lifetime of the policy.

The information contained in this article is based on sources believed reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. This article is for informational and edu-cational purposes only and should not be relied upon as the basis for a purchase decision.

Paul Higgins is a Vice President with UBS Financial Services and a Principal of the Trinity Wealth Management Group. He can be reached at 540-855-3381 or paul.higgins@ubs.com.

Economics 24014Long Term Care: The Basicsby Paul J. Higgins, Vice President, UBS Financial Services Inc.

12

KidSpeak

Neil EvettHobby - shooting hoops

Food - pieColor - turquoise

School - subject-readingBook - Chatterer the SquirrelMovie - The Return of the Jedi

Song - The Year 3,000TV Series - Phinneas and Ferb

Vacation Spot - Vermont

Neil is in the third grade at North Cross School and he’s a big UVA fan. He delivers to Somerset,

Allendale and Clydesdale.

Girls Scouts Earn Their Silver Award by Helping St. Francis House Spread the Word In a ceremony at the South Roanoke United Methodist Church, Girl Scout Troop 329 leader Helen Hill presented Silver Awards to scouts Hannah Godsey, Laura Hall, Emily Heymann and Eliza-beth Hill. The Silver Award is the second highest achievement honor for Girl Scouts. Troop 329 earned the award for developing a multi-media publicity package for St Francis House. Located in downtown Roanoke, St. Francis House is a non-profit food pantry that provides emergency grocer-ies to needy families on a once-a-month basis. St. Francis relies on donations for its supplies and helps about 200 families each month. The scouts met with St. Francis House Director Eileen Stone to dis-

cuss the need for improved publicity. After touring the House, the scouts learned there were few publicity tools for getting the word

out, so they created a power point slide show, a brochure, and a large poster-board display to be used at trade shows and fund-raising events. The scouts received compliments from St. Francis House for their hard work and the quality of their pre-sentation materials. After receiving the award, the scouts read a poem they had written together about their scouting activities since first grade that centered around the girl scout pledge, “On my honor, I will try, to serve God and our country, to help others at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.” Congrats to these young community leaders!

13

South Roanoke United Methodist Church

Senior Minister: Bill Davidson

www.srumc.com

Join us for

KickOff Sunday

Welcome our Director of Music Ministries

Dr. Rafael ScarfulleryOrganist, Classical Guitaristwww.rafaelscarfullery.com

Children’s Choirs — Thurs, 4:30 pmYouth Orchestra

Handbells for children, youth, and adultsChancel Choir and Praise Team

Sunday, September 7, 2008 9:15 am Continental Breakfast and Sunday School for all ages10:30 am Worship followed by BBQ DINNER

Three Simple Rules for LivingSermon Series by Rev. Bill Davidson

Children’s Ministries

Jelly Bellies (2-1/2 - preK) Wed. 1:15 pmFeaturing The ABC’s of the Bible

Junior Mints (K-grade 2) andPeanut M&M’s (grades 3-5) Thurs. 3 pmFeaturing The Great Bible Race

For ParentsParents of Young Children Monthly activities for fellowship

…especially for Moms….“M.O.P.S.” (Mothers of Preschoolers)Meeting September 14, 11:30 a.m.

Youth Ministries

Sundays 5:30 pm

KidSpeak

Mission School Supply 2008: Success by Any Measure!

What do you get when you put together U.S. Kids Care members (and parents), 1000 grocery bags from Towers Kroger and Tangle-wood Kroger, and an amazingly generous community? “Mission School Supply”! This year marks U.S. Kids Care’s 4th year of hosting “Mission School Supply,” a yearly neighborhood school supply drive. This project allows U.S. Kids Care to give local children the tools they need for a suc-cessful school year. It is a great way for us to help other children who might go with-out. U.S. Kids Care members left 1000 bags on doorsteps throughout South Roanoke on Sunday, August 17th. Neighbors had one week to shop and fill the bags with note-books, pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, cray-ons, markers, glue sticks, ruled paper, cal-culators, and back packs. U.S. Kids Care members then collected the bags on Sunday, August 24th, and delivered the items to the children of The Refugee and Immigration Services, The Presbyterian Community Center, and their adopted Head Start classroom.

U.S. Kids Care member Hunter Godsey, a 7th grader at James Madison says, “Mission School Supply is a great way to help chil-dren get a good start to the school year. This project makes a dif-

ference by helping children not worry as they start the school year. We try to get them what they need.” Mission School Supply would not be the suc-cess it has been over the past four years with-out the generosity of the neighborhood. “It feels good in our hearts to help other kids get a good start with school”, says member Ann Clare Levy, a 7th grader at Roanoke Catholic. “It is especially wonderful to see how much so many people give. Many times there will be extra bags of school supplies on the doorsteps. It makes you feel good to see the generosity of others.” And Helen Schmedtje, a 4th grader at Crystal Spring Elementary, sums it all up ~ “I like participating in Mission School Supply be-

cause it is fun being with your friends while helping other people.” Thanks to all of you for helping us make a difference! Katie is U.S. Kids Care President/Co-Founder & the chair of “Mission School Supply 2008.”

By Katie Levy

Madison Lewis and Hannah Godsey, pitch in to sort donated schools supplies.

Photo by Mary Anne Marx.

14

“You better watch out for the eggplant that ate Chicago For he may eat your city soon. You better watch out for the eggplant

that ate Chicago If he’s still hungry the whole country’s

doomed…. “ If you want to hear the rest of one of the wackiest songs ever made, Google that one up for a laugh. When some people hear that eggplant is being served, they run away, just like in the song. But I’m here to tell you that those who love it do so for good reason – it tastes great. And as an added bonus, it happens to be really good for you, too. So give it a chance, will you? Purple-skinned eggplant is chock full of phenols. Phenols help your body better use blood sugar. Too much extra sugar in the bloodstream is bad for your organs. But wait, there’s more. Not only do eggplant’s phenols have positive effects on blood sugar, their phenols may also inhibit an en-zyme that’s linked to high blood pressure. One more - their phenols have antioxidant actions. So it’s a real helper with choles-terol, high blood pressure and a way to fight heart disease and diabetes! So, will its health powers make you want to put on your plate each week? Maybe, or maybe not. But maybe if I get you to try a couple of delicious and mouth-watering recipes with eggplant in them, you’ll turn into an eggplant lover, just like me! Look for medium-size, purple eggplants with firm skins and no mushy spots. At the end of summer, go down to the farmer’s market or find a local farm stand, or talk to Ginger Perkins about her or-ganic vegetable connections. Heck, some of you might even grow it in your own backyard after you get a taste for it!

Start easy with this one. Simple, delicious, healthy. When it’s done right, it really is creamy and rich tasting.

2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided8 1/2-inch slices eggplant (about 1 small)1/2 teaspoon garlic salt8 slices whole-grain country bread8 thin slices fresh mozzarella cheese (not the pre-sliced or grated variety, but fresh)1/3 cup sliced jarred roasted red peppers (or, roast your own on the grill)4 thin slices Bermuda onion

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine mayonnaise and basil in a small bowl. Using 1 tablespoon oil, lightly brush both sides of eggplant and sprinkle each slice with garlic salt. With the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, brush one side of each slice of bread. Grill the eggplant for about 6 minutes, turn with a spatula, top with cheese, and continue grilling until the cheese is melted and the egg-plant is tender, about 4 minutes more. Toast the bread on the grill, 1 to 2 minutes per side. To assemble sandwiches: Spread basil mayonnaise on four slices of bread. Top with the cheesy eggplant, red peppers, onion and the remaining slices of bread. Cut in half and serve warm.

Tips to make this one stand out from other eggplant dips you may have tried: roasted garlic, roasted onion and roasted tomato. Just serve it up with sliced raw vegetables, crackers or pita bread.

1 eggplant (1-1 1/4 pounds), cut in half lengthwise1 large head garlic1 small sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 ripe tomato, cored, sliced in half and seeded3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper to taste

Set oven racks at the two lowest levels; preheat to 450°F. Peel as much of the papery skin from the garlic as possible and wrap loosely in foil. Bake until the garlic is soft, which should be about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly. While that’s cooking, coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place eggplant halves on the prepared baking sheet, with the cut side down. Place them in the oven and roast them for 10 minutes. Add onion slices and tomato halves to the baking sheet and roast until all the vegetables are soft, about an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Separate the garlic cloves and squeeze them into a medium bowl. Mash with the back

of a spoon. Slip the skins off the eggplant and tomatoes; coarsely chop the cooked in-sides. Finely chop the onion. Add all the chopped vegetables to the garlic pulp and stir in the lemon juice, mint, oil, salt and pep-per. A food processor will help this along, but don’t chop it all too finely, a bit coarse is better. Garnish with some fresh parsley. It can be served at room temperature or cold, and can be made ahead and refrigerated for a couple of days.

A restaurant in Atlanta claimed that its eggplant parmesan would induce labor within 48 hours and had a bunch of pictures of moms and babies on the wall as “proof”.

Even if you aren’t expecting, try this and you’ll be expecting a sec-ond helping. One caution is the saltiness of this recipe. You can wipe off the salt after the first step (below). The salting does help the removal of excess liquid and makes this a better dish than if you skip this step. This dish is one of my most time-consuming recipes, but I think of it as a labor of love and well worth it!

3 medium sized eggplants 1 cup flour 6 eggs, beaten 4 cups fine Italian bread crumbs, seasoned Olive oil for sautéing 8 cups of marinara sauce

Mix these cheeses together: 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 pounds of mozzarella cheese (but save a little of this on the side for the very top of the dish after assembly), shredded and 2 cups of ricotta cheese. To this mixture, add 1/2 cup of chopped parsley After you wash the eggplant, slice them into 1/4-inch thick slices. You may choose to peel the eggplant before you slice it but, you may want to leave the skin on since it contains a lot of vitamins. Place the eggplant slices on a layer of paper towels and sprinkle with a little kosher salt, then cover with another layer of paper towels and hold it down with something heavy to drain the excess moisture. Let them sit for about an hour.

Take one slice of eggplant at a time, dust with flour, dip in beat-en eggs, then coat well with breadcrumbs. (I will tell you that I have recently just dusted these in a mixture of flour and crumbs, sprayed them with Pam and baked them to reduce the calories) Saute in preheated olive oil on both sides until golden brown. In a baking dish, alternate layers starting with the marinara sauce, then eggplant slices, and then cheese mixture, until you fill the baking dish, about 1/8 inch from the top. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese, and bake for 25-35 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Hello out there in SoRo! I’m always looking for input - recipes you’d be interested in, recipes you’d like to share, food topics you’d like to see appear. I love hearing from you and it’s nice to know what readers want, so let me know. David.lake@clearconcepts.net will get your input and comments to me! Thanks, and good eating!

Cook’s Nook

helpful hints for

quick, healthy meals

by David Lake

15

All proceeds benefit local charities so please come on out to support local non-profit organizations in our valley!

Outdoor concerts are held at the Downtown Roanoke Rail Car Lot on

Salem Avenue between 1st St. & Jefferson. Must be 21.

www.firstfridaysroanoke.com

Don’t miss Monkey Fuzz on

You can do yoga anywhere.

Experience yogaat

The Yoga Center

Therapeutic Center, 2126 Rosalind Ave. First session Sept. 18th and continues with every 3rd

Thursday of the month. Please call Pat at 343-3203 to reserve, limited seating.

Kate Ericsson, M.T., M.Ed.

Reading specialist and private tutor

540.915.1655kate.ericsson@cox.net

The 2nd annual Roanoke Greek Festival, sponsored

by WSLS Channel 10, will take place September 12-

14 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church facili-

ties, indoors and outdoors, rain or shine. Portions of

the proceeds will benefit the Rescue Mission and the

Center in the Square along with other charities.

For more information, call 362-3601 or visit:

roanokegreekfestival.com.

2008

Are you feeling down, depressed and

suffering from a chronic illness. Please join this

new educational support group that will lift your mind

and spirit.New support group

at Loving Hands

October 3rd:

Charities benefitting...Mill Mountain Theatre; Trust House; Virginia Museum of Transportation; Total Action Against Poverty; Junior

-en’s International, Roanoke Chapter; Virginia Amateur

16

Exclusive Living in South RoanokeJeannine Hanson, GRI, CRSCell: 798-8640 / Home: 774-6730

24 Hour Voice Mail: 966-7297

All Brick Home in Roanoke’s most prestigious neighborhood. 3 BRs, 2-1/2 BAs. Large

For. LR w/Hdwd Flrs & FP, opens to Sun RM. For. DR w/Chair Rail, Hdwd Flrs. Huge

Gourmet EIK w/Granite Ctrs, Custom Cabs, JennAir Gas Cook Top. 2 Pantries. Wine

Rack. Breakfast Area w/Wall of Windows overlooks Beautiful Brick Patio & Garden

area. Family RM w/Catheral Ceiling & Loft. Large MA Suite w/Walk-in Closet, Full BA,

Tiled Sitting RM. 2 Addl. Large BRs – one with Walk-in Closet. Lower Level Laundry &

Storage area. Crown Moldings, Hdwd Flrs, Ceiling Fans. Tiled BAs. Level Yard. Storage

Building. Great Neighborhood.

Brick Ranch on 1.15 acres in Edgehill Estates w/2 Car Garage. 4 BRs. 3 BAs. For LR w/Masonry Gas-Log FP & DR. Updated EIK w/Tile

Floor & Backsplash. FR w/Masonry Wood Burning FP. MA BR Suite w/Updated Tile BA, Walk-In Closet w/Organizers. 2 addl. BRs &

updated Full BA w/Shower. Lower Level Rec RM w/Masonry Wood Burning FP; BR w/Walk-In Closet; Laundry RM w/Built-In Cabinets,

Desk & Walk-In Closet. Hdwd flrs. Crown Molding. Level, fenced back yard. Cul-de-Sac. Views. Move-In Condition.

Hidden Treasure in South Roanoke

Luxury Condo home in S. Roanoke. 3 BRs, 2.1 BAs. Foyer. Open floor plan

w/Formal Living RM w/Fireplace & Dining RM. Open Family RM w/Fire-

place/Kitchen w/Granite Counters, SS Appliances. Library. Office. Master

Suite w/sitting area, huge Walk-in Closets. Luxury Bath w/Whirlpool Bath,

Separate Shower. 3,700+ sq. ft. One floor luxury living. Fabulous Views!

REDUCED!